NationStates Jolt Archive

The Imperial Palace, Island of Hera:

The golden rays of late morning streamed into the main audience chamber of the Imperial Palace, casting bright sunbeams over the polished stone floors. The hall was open and airy, the sort of place where sounds left behind the slightest of echoes. The air was pleasant, comfortable, but with the faint coolness of spring. Soon, the hall would be host to the nobility of the Imperium and the High Kingdom, but for now, the peaceful silence was broken only by the muffled sounds of birds outside and by the footsteps of Emperor Phaeton Draconis.

The Emperor, as usual for affairs of state, was wearing a variation of his Lord Admiral's uniform, with its flowing black coat and gray pants. It was not unduly formal, but held a sort of dignity that suited Draconis well. His black hair was swept behind elegantly pointed ears, highlighting icy blue eyes. His thoughts drifted from foreign policy to internal affairs, but mostly centered on the progress of Akaton's recently appointed regent, Lady Alexandra Lucius. And so the Emperor lingered in the hall, awaiting the arrival of the nobles, and considering what to make of the coming conference.

Empress Aiwyn glided up next to her husband, slipping her arm into his. She wore a green gossamer dress and wore her red hair down, seeming like a shining crimson river. "I must admit I'm a little nervous about this, dearest. I'm not quite sure what our position is. Our arrangement does bare the marks of an attempt to merge dynasties awkwardly aborted."

Aiwyn, unlike her husband, was not expecting the delegates to be entirely or even mostly nobles. Perhaps that in and of itself symbolized how far apart their homelands had grown over the past years. Things had changed so much since the wedding. Hopefully, this bilateral conference would get the alliance back on track and reaquaint their cultures.

Draconis smiled warmly at Aiwyn's touch, though her words brought a look of concern to his face.

"Yes, it does seem so, doesn't it? Our nations have been growing uncomfortably distant as of late. As for what position we should take..."

He paused, thinking. The politicians he had left behind in Akaton needed to be reminded that they ruled in his name, and that meant honoring the alliance. Draconis silently wondered whether he had allowed himself to become too far removed from Akaton's government, thinking that things would carry on as they had before. Whatever the cause, it was obvious to him that unity had to be encouraged. He looked back to Aiwyn.

"Perhaps the best thing we could do would be to promote unity and strengthen the alliance."

Over the next half hour or so, the chamber filled with dignitaries from the Resurgent Dream: Plump, bushy-browed Boggans, dark-skinned, elegant Eshu, craggy Nockers, bestial Pooka, monstrous Redcaps, shadowy, emaciated Sluagh, hairy Satyrs, beautiful Sidhe, tall, blue Trolls, seal-like Selkies, piscine Merfolk, grotesque River Hags, gorgeous Oba nobles, exotic, shining Ali'i, wooden Kubera, Humans of every size and color, and dozens of other races, all bowing elegantly to the Emperor and Empress.

As the hall was filling with arrivals from the High Kingdom, the Akatoni delegates began to assemble. They arrived one or two at a time, not quite as numerous or diverse as their Danaan counterparts. At Aiwyn's side, Draconis acknowledged them each in turn.

It was immediately obvious that the majority of the delegates were of the elven races. Many of them were high elves much like the Emperor, though a few exotic looking night elves could be found among there number. Of course, Lady Alexandra, strikingly beautiful in her flowing black gown, was in attendance, along with a few dozen other vampiric nobles. These, the elves and vampires, made up most of Akaton's aristocracy.

There were humans from the Imperium as well, though in comparatively limited numbers. Many wore the characteristic long black coats of military officers. Others were hidden behind hooded cloaks bearing the symbol of the Machine God. They were an interesting addition to the conference, as the followers of the Cult Mechanicus had traditionally avoided most governmental functions. Finally, came the various corporate executives and the like, those who held no real title yet held sufficient power to warrant their presence.

Aiwyn turned to her husband. "Care to begin?"

Draconis nodded to Aiwyn.

"Let us begin."

The Emperor walked to the front of the room, addressing the assembled delegates.

"I hereby call to order this Conference of the Mists. We are gathered here today in the interest of discussing those issues that face our lands, that in so doing we might strengthen our alliance and further the goal of unity between our peoples."

He glanced back to Aiwyn to see if she wished to add anything before the discussion got under way.

Aiwyn walked to stand beside her husband, not having anything to add to what he said.

The Danaan delegates all turned their attention to the podium as Draconis began to speak. They sat down and quietly prepared for the discussion. Aiwyn included, no one seemed to quite know where to begin.

There was silence in the hall for a few uncomfortable seconds, the Akatoni delegates also seeming content to just listen to the Emperor's words. Draconis felt a momentary annoyance at the silence, having counted on a more talkative crowd to provide a topic or two for discussion. He went over a few possible issues before settling on one. The silence occupied a brief enough span to be confused as a pause for effect, a fact that the Emperor was thankful for.

"...and so I pose for debate the issue of whether it is in our best interest to seek cultural unity or merely a political union of treaties and alliances."

Kape Mumarat, an Eshu diplomat, rose to that question. "Your Majesty, I am not sure exactly what is meant by cultural unity. In the Danaan High Kingdom, there are a great many cultures. Is it being suggested that they all be forcibly integrated into one? Besides, Your Majesty, this is hardly a policy we could pursue with all of our allies. There are a great many more alliances that the Resurgent Dream is involved in in addition to Mists."

Draconis addressed the Eshu's statement.

"Nothing so radical as a total merger of cultures. I meant something more along the lines of a series of small changes designed to encourage relations between our nations. Some possibilities could include the adoption of a common currency or legal system."

Listening to the Emperor's words, Aerien Vect, an aristocratic looking elf, stood to respond.

"With all due respect, your Majesty, any major change to the existing set of laws would be a mistake. Though a standardized legal code would help international relations, within Akaton itself it would cause confusion amongst judges and lawyers, doubtless leading to chaos."

A Sidhe, Lady Hadany ni Aesin, stood up as well. "I have to agree with my colleague, Your Majesty. I believe these moves towards unification are too much."

Lord Hagi ap Aesin nodded. "I do not think the public would be willing to get lose the dross. It is a rather strong currency."

Izârlân Naam, a Troll, stood. "Your Majesty, I would wish to discuss how this alliance interacts with the other alliances our nations are involved in.

Draconis sighed,

"You are most likely right. That would be too much change too quickly."

He turned his attention to the Troll, briefly pondering the question before answering.

"While this was not officially included within the treaty that formed the alliance, nominally, one nation would respect the alliances of the other, insomuch as to preclude military action against that ally. In the event that hostilities erupt between one of our nations and the ally of the other, diplomatic negotiations would be needed to determine the best course of action."

Aiwyn shook her head. "I think it goes deeper than that, love. We're talking about alliances definitive to foreign policy and national identity, not casually signed treaties. I think this is the very root of our recent drifting."

Draconis turned to Aiwyn, a look of interest on his face.

"I suppose it would cause drifting if our foreign policy decisions were entirely separate from each other. How would you suggest that we remedy this?"

Aiwyn sighed. "I suppose I'm going to be the one who has to say this. The problem is our awkward and unconventional arrangement. Therefore, I would relinquish what remains of my already renounced claim on the throne of the Resurgent Dream and live only as Empress of Akaton, to simplify matters."

Aiwyn's words came as a surprise to Draconis. He knew that joint rule was always a problem for both nations, but he had never actually expected his wife to go as far as relinquishing power in her homeland. Despite the surprise, the Emperor maintained his composure, looking as best he could like this change had been expected. He let his questions wait until later, realizing that with the public watching it was important not to appear unprepared.

The Akatoni delegates spoke amongst themselves, trading reactions to Aiwyn's decision in hushed tones. Finally, Lady Alexandra rose bowing to the Empress before speaking.

"Your Majesty, I believe I speak for all assembled here when I say that the court of Akaton is honored by your decision."

Aiwyn inclined her head. "With that out of the way, what else is a matter of great concern?"

Draconis glanced across the room at the hooded figures that represented the Machine God. The presence of their kind was always unsettling to the Emperor, perhaps because he understood the power wielded by those who direct the faithful. He turned his gaze away from them, addressing the assembled delegates as a whole.

"I would like to bring up for discussion what role the church should play in a nation's government."

Xantumal Darkeyes. a Mannkin cleric rose. "Well, in the Resurgent Dream, the Danaan Church is the official religion. However, it is also believed that people have the right to settle such matters on their own conscience. Compulsory religious observance has no benefit for man or the gods. All faiths are free to preach and practice as they will."

Brother Armand, a priest of the Cult Mechanicus, stood to speak. His voice was flat, completely emotionless.

"There is no legal basis in Akaton for a state mandated religion. Imperial tradition dictates that so long as the law does not attempt to interfere with religious practices, religion will not involve itself in the government. My order seeks to legally formalize this, giving up political power in exchange for autonomy from the civil government."

Lady Alexandra rose, turning to the priest and responding almost before he had finished.

"You only want autonomy because your order has been burning heretics again. According to Imperial Law, 'There is to be no discrimination or persecution on the basis of beliefs'. Burning heretics is persecution."

The priest fidgeted slightly, pausing for a moment before continuing.

"There is no proof that anyone is being burned."

Alexandra replied, frustration building in her voice.

"If that is the case, why hasn't your order responded to inquiries regarding the environmental protestors who disappeared a few weeks back?"

Hearing nothing but silence coming from Brother Armand, the vampiress turned away from him, addressing the group as a whole.

"You see, they cannot be trusted. I say there should be more restrictions placed on religious groups."

Auwyn shrugged. "Why not just punish anyone when they commit crimes? Murder is already against the law. Punishing murderers for it is no added restriction on religion."

Draconis sighed, not at Aiwyn's suggestion, but at the problem in general. Every few years people seemed to raise this issue, and every time it came to the same conclusion.

"I am inclined to agree with my wife in this matter. I see no reason to change the way things are done. The church will remain subject to the law, but there will be no punishment beyond those who are guilty. Are there any further issues to address?"

Alexandra and the priest both took their seats in silence. The priest had thought to say something more, but the Emperor was already moving on to another topic. Alexandra was less concerned. The vampiress wasn't terribly concerned with getting what she wanted so much as preventing the church from gaining power. After all, compromise was probably the best course of action anyway.

Aiwyn moved on. "I suppose we shall have to reword the treaty to note the absence of a joint dynasty."

The Sidhe continued. "Another issue, I am somewhat concerned that Akaton seems somewhat uninvolved with the Tareldanorian continent."

The Emperor considered.

"I might add to this that Akaton has been generally uninvolved in world affairs as of late. This is only a temporary state, and should soon be resolved. There are plans to establish diplomatic contact with the people of the Empire of Menelmacar. As for the treaty's wording, I believe article 6.7 will need to be removed, dealing with the inheritance of power."

Aiwyn nodded. "Is there any other matter of importance to discuss?"

After a few seconds of silence, Admiral Varrus Rayne, chief diplomatic officer for the Imperial Fleet, stood.

"One last question, your Majesty. While our nations will obviously defend each other in case of attack, I wish to clarify whether we are expected to support an attack by a Mists nation upon a foreign target."

Aiwyn shook her head. "I don't think there's a treaty obligation to do so. I don't exactly see why either nation would engage in any kind of unprovoked attack, however. It is not something we usually use as part of our foreign policy."

Admiral Rayne bowed before returning to his seat.

"Thank you, your Majesty. I know it is not a typical part of our foreign policy, but as the chief diplomat for the fleet, I must be prepared for any possibility."

Aiwyn allowed the room to fall into silence, looking to her husband with a light smile. "I believe we've cleared up a lot. I feel much better." Behind the podium, she reached forward and squeezed his hand.

FIN